I was taking a cruise in my car today i was just 3 miles by back road to my house about 6 miles by secondary hiway when i heard a snap sound like i ran something over. I hadnt seen anything in the road but a recent belt inspection indicated i should order a new alternator belt. SO i glanced at the guages...nope reads about 14v no problems. I drove another couple hundred feet and checked the guages again, this time the volts were just under 12 (i figure the alt was still spinning the first time i checked)....yikes im 3 miles from home, have to go pick up the little one in 1/2 an hour and im wearing shorts no shirt no shoes

I whipped it around to take the shortest route, as soon as i hit the brakes the voltage dropped to 11.5ish (brake lights), im wondering how low a voltage will the HEI keep firing at and how fast is my Joe P approved electric choke set-up drawing down my battery ?

Well fingers crossed i made the 3 miles to my house and the car was still running when i jumped out and opened the garage...pulled it in and shut it off .
I then went in to order a new alternator belt whew i thought for sure the car was gonna die and i would be hot footing it back home to get the kid in time !!! and then have to go back and rescue the car glad that didnt happen

 

Lottery ticket? You need to go get a couple. Fusick has hi qual belt repros. We don't think about the perishable parts on our cars because they get so few miles accumulated...its all about time duration with us. Anything rubber... brake lines come to mind first then hoses and belts, then tires. I came to my senses last year when I figured out my tires were 28 years old! Yikes!

 

You were not in any danger. Back in the later 80s my brother-in-law's 68 GTO melted the main alternator wire while we were on a night time road trip and about 40 miles from home on a 2 lane highway. We turned around and drove the entire way back home on the battery, but since we feared the battery would drain we turned off the headlights for most of the trip, turning them on only when we saw another vehicle approaching in the distance. Made it the 40 miles home with plenty of juice to spare.

 

In all that you described, as horrible as it was, I found this to be by far the scariest part.

 

Its not as bad as it sounds im a good looking dude quite pleasing to the eye...but dont get any ideas im all about the ladies

 

If your battery is in good shape you can cover a lot of miles with no charging system. Especially in an old car, the ignition will draw maybe 3 amps, the electric choke I'n not sure but it won't be much either. The headlamps will be the biggest drain.
In a modern car with electric fuel pumps injection systems and high voltage ignition, plus all the other constant draws you wouldn't get nearly as far given the same battery.
Some modern cars go into progressive shutdown mode if the charging system fails, first you lose non essentials like power windows, heater fan, stereo etc, then maybe wipers and lights, keeping whatever is essential to run the engine until last. You could liken it to an animal dying of starvation or hypothermia perhaps.

Roger.

 

years ago I measured the current drain of an electric choke heating coil and it started off higher and as it warmed up the current decreased. I can't remember the actual numbers, but after fully warmed up it was well below 1 Amp (several hundred of milliAmps maybe?).

 

well im somewhat embarrassed to admit but my 7-8yr old Optima is on its last legs as well it shows 12.5ish V fully charged.

either way good info on the choke and ignition draw, my car has mech fuel fuel pump so really all i had was choke and ignition w the occaisional brake lights !!!

I gotta admit that cars been goo d to me I ran outta gas once about a 1/2 mile from my house(all downhill ) , when the t chain bit it on my 350 i was about 20 feet from my driveway and this time the car made it home w no alt power. 3 for 3 FTW

 

I once drove a 1963 Ford Falcon Futura at night, with no power hungry options, from a short distance west of Flagstaff, AZ to LA, CA. Light were a bit dim, but I made it. Luckily, I had a pretty good battery!

 

Same. Melted a main alt wire on my '73 Chevelle back in the day. Made it another 45 mins home. Was at night and using headlights, but everything else turned off. Was still running when I got home but not smoothly and lights were dim.

Like rustyroger said, probably wouldn't have made it in a modern car.

 

I had my charge wire break on me once in a 1988 Nissan 200SX and I drove a total of about 30 miles home with no issue. Like it has been stated, if the battery is in good shape 3 miles is nothing.

 

I had broke down and bought me an 08 caliber alternator went out welll let's just say in a matter of 5 minutes tht cars top speed was 2 mph gotta hate them newer systems

 

I carry spare belts, spare starter , spare dist and parts , few plugs and random bail me out wires , and a few motors for my moroso water pump drive as a first aid kit. It all fits in a small plastic tool box and a small tool box with general tools takes care of tools if need be.

 

yeah i should pack some tools and spares w my car as well, I usually have tools and enough to get outta the woods w my bikes and sleds so it makes sense.

Funny to change the no AC alt belt I needed a 1/2", 9/16", 5/8" and 3/4" a mix of box end and sockets works best, i woulda needed a small tool kit just to change that belt LOL.

I put a new belt on and took the car to work today !